Hi Deano here,
I have swiped a couple of articles and inserted them below.... No drama, I've left the creds in place. But for now I thought I'd have a chat about my experience with Stingray Basses. See I have a couple of them. My first Stingray was an Ernie Ball. A nice orange number with a great sound. I think I mentioned to you that one of the reasons I got into Stingrays was that I liked "Flee's" Bass playing and his sound.
It was about a year or so later that I found my gem. And I still can't believe the guy was going to sell her. It was a classic case of the girlfriend wanting to settle down and the "other woman" (a classic sunburst pre Ernie Ball Stingray) had to go.
A friend of a friend told me about Danny's dilemma. Now, most of us muso types are always strapped for cash, and to swoop in and pick up a bargain when they present themselves can be challenging. In my case the timing couldn't have been more perfect.
You see, I was in a long distance relationship. My girlfriend lived in Vancouver Canada, and I lived on the Gold Coast of Australia. I had saved up enough money for an airfare to visit her, but not quite enough to survive once I arrived. To cut a long story short... I used the cash reserved for the airfare to buy the Stingray. My girlfriend was a total champion about it... So much so that, we are still together 16 years later.
I said all that to say this... The old original Stingray has an awesome sound. It is far richer and a much fatter bottom end. Sure it only has the two tone adjustments but there is just something wonderful about the instrument. The through the body strings seem to ad a more earthy tone too.
Obviously this instrument became my main one. I used it for nearly all of my recording sessions, (except for when a Jazz Bass sound was required). Other musicians have sampled the sound of my bass and used it in recordings of their own.
Now, I'm not bagging the Ernie Ball Bass. They are awesome, but if you can find an old one, and it sounds cool, buy it.
Deano
The following article is courtesy of Wikipedia. thanks
In 1971, Fender employees Forrest White and Tom Walker, unhappy with the way CBS was managing the company, left their positions with Fender to start their own venture. First known as Tri-Sonic and then later Musitek, Inc., the new company eventually settled on the name of MusicMan, Inc. by 1974. The company began producing a hybrid tube-solid state amplifier co-designed by Tom Walker and Leo Fender, who was participating as a silent partner to the firm due to a "no compete" clause in the sales contract Fender had signed when he sold his original company to CBS in 1965. After the clause expired in 1975, he was made president of MusicMan, Inc., and by 1976 his consulting firm CLF Research had begun producing instruments bearing the MusicMan name.
Designed by Fender, Walker and Sterling Ball (Sterling was a beta tester for the instrument), the StingRay bass appeared in 1976 and, though physically similar to a Fender Precision Bass, was a highly innovative instrument. It employed a "soapbar" humbucking pickup and an active pre-amp powered by a 9-volt battery. The early versions had 2-band EQ (i.e., bass and treble controls), and the range was later augmented by the addition of a 3 band EQ (bass, mid and treble) model, and then piezo pickups located in the bridge became an option with the 3-band model. The StingRay's 3-band equalization system was highly innovative; making it possible to boost midrange frequencies as well as low and high, something which had not been possible on basses without active preamps. Along with its electronic advancements, the StingRay had physical attributes that set it apart from other Fender-inspired designs, such as a heavy satin finish on the back of the neck to allow players' hands to slide effortlessly up and down during play, a symmetrical egg-shaped pickguard and separate chromed "boomerang" control plate, and its distinctive "3+1" headstock (on which three tuning machines are situated on the top and one on the bottom) made it an instantly recognizable and distinguishable instrument.
Early models have through-body stringing at the bridge, which is fitted with adjustable string mutes. Later models omit both features, except for the 30th Anniversary model of 2006, which uses the string-through-body design and features a solid mahogany body finished in a Crimson Red Transparent finish.
Later advancements on the StingRay included a 5-string version (the StingRay 5), which has a 3-way toggle switch that allows the player to split the humbucking pickup's coils, and a unique truss-rod neck adjustment system that incorporated a Teflon washer which made it highly resistant to rust and corrosion and made adjusting the neck of a StingRay relatively easy.
In the early 2000s a budget version of the StingRay known as the S.U.B. was produced, featuring a textured body finish and diamond plate pickguard. This model was discontinued in 2007 due to rising production costs.
In 2005, two-pickup versions of the StingRay (known as "HH" and "HS") were introduced, following the success of the Bongo Bass, one of Ernie Ball's latest bass designs. This dual-pickup version includes a 5-way switch, allowing the user to select different combinations of pickup coils and thus greatly increasing the diversity of available tones. The dual-pickup configuration was also adopted on the StingRay 5 and the Sterling that same year.
In recent years, Music Man has allowed OLP to produce budget versions of the StingRay 4, Stingray 5, StingRay 4 HH, and StingRay 5 HH. More marketing emphasis has been placed on these guitars since phasing out the S.U.B.
StingRays are generally known for the punch of their sound, making them very suitable for rock/funk applications and excellent for slapping, and for being of extremely high build quality. The 6-bolt neckplate is an example of this. The neck is also quite wide, especially compared to that of Fender Jazz Bass-type models, as well as having the above mentioned truss-rod adjustment mechanism that allows players to adjust the truss-rod without removing the neck. Some users have also noticed an audible difference in volume between the lower three strings (E, A, D) and the highest G string, with the G string suffering from a lack of volume. This problem has not been observed in 5-string StingRays.
Books and more info?
and another article:
MusicMan StingRay Bass
A Bit of History
MusicMan is the company that Leo Fender founded on his return to the music business after he sold his own company due to failing health. This happened several years after he sold Fender to the giant corporation CBS and he subsequently made a great improvement in his health.
The MusicMan StingRay has been the de-facto standard workhorse bass for the last 30 years, that it is still relevant in today’s techno hungry music world shows, how was far ahead of its time it was when introduced in 1976.
Instantly recognisable for it 3+1 tuning key arrangement, the StingRay was the first production bass to feature active electronics that shape the basses tone to the players needs.
Over its production cycle many improvements have developed, such as a six-bolt neck attachment for no shifting, contoured body for comfort, improved neck truss-rod system, a better bridge and quieter electronics.
Specification
The particular model we are reviewing is the StingRay 4 with the optional 3-band active preamp. It is finished in sapphire black, with gunstock oil and is hand-rubbed with a special wax. This is adorned with a moonstone pickguard in the traditional StingRay oval shape.
The neck is satin finished (except for the back of the headstock) is 34” in scale length and executed in maple with an optional matching painted headstock. It is attached via a 6-bolt join for no movement. As for the tuners these are in a 3 + 1 configuration, are made by Schaller and have tapered string posts.
The electronics are comprised of the optional 3-EQ active preamp – with volume, treble, middle and bass, whilst the pickup is a MusicMan humbucking located towards the bridge.
Fit and Finish
The quality of this instrument is simply superb. Everything fits nicely and is done professionally as one would expect from a top US manufacturer. The bass is also well setup and plays perfectly out of the box. The neck requires a special mention as it is just the right balance between chunky and playable and also the satin back makes it feel very smooth to play.
Sounds
Well this bass can sound like whatever you want it to, thanks to its active preamp. It impressed tremendously at the first gig we used it at, and certainly proved its worth. Roll off the treble and you have yourself a mellow smooth sound, boost it for a slaphappy tone. The bass and middle can be adjusted to each player’s particular taste. The maple neck option obviously makes it sound slightly brighter and this can be appreciated in the upper registers especially when snapping.
Summary
An excellent, well finished instrument, whose superb electronics are versatile enough for most styles of music.
By Ernest H Slade
